Des Moines Police Department

Des Moines - Great Place for a New Business

The City of Des Moines is a great place to locate or expand your businesses. The Des Moines Office of Economic Development office is dedicated to helping you meet your existing and future development needs.

Property & Impounds

Property Management Section Roles and Responsibilities

All property brought into the Des Moines Police Department, including confiscated, found, and seized items, are inventoried and secured in the Property Management Section storage facilities. Examples of the type of property maintained in storage by this Section would include illegal drugs, weapons, and all other types of property pertaining to a variety of investigations conducted by the police department.

This Section is also responsible for the issuance of police officers uniform clothing and leather goods. The diverse responsibilities of this Section also include furnishing office supplies to the various police department Bureaus, assisting the City of Des Moines’ Zoning Department with the beautification ordinance, and supporting the department’s Biological Hazard Protection Program.

Other responsibilities of this Section include notification of vehicle owners and lien holders about motor vehicles that have been impounded and not returned to the owner within 48 hours of the impoundment. The administration of all auctions for abandoned motor vehicles and other types of property is handled by the Property Management Section.

For inquiries regarding motor vehicles that have been impounded by the Des Moines Police Department use the following phone numbers:

Abandoned motor vehicle sales are held every 3 weeks. The sale site opens at 12:00 PM on each sale date to allow prospective bidders an opportunity to view the motor vehicles being sold. Bid numbers will be available from 12:00 PM until 1:15 PM at the sale site. The sale will begin promptly at 1:00 PM.